Not Just a Pretty Face
by L100Meganium
Summary: Rover loves traveling and seeing new places and new faces...but when he meets a mysterious cat with no face and learns of a strange curse afflicting her, how will he react? Rover x Blanca
1. Prologue: New Places, New Faces

**Disclaimer:** I own all three Animal Crossing games. Sadly, this does not mean I own the characters or the franchise. If I did, there would be a whole lot more backstory in all the characters' lives. But alas...I can only write mere fanfiction. [pouts] Hope you'll enjoy it anyway!

**Warning:** This contains shippy material. If you are offended at the thought of two kitties in love, I'd suggest you a) not read this, and b) see a psychiatrist.

**Author's Note:** This is my first fanfiction (that I will publish on here, anyway [laughs]). I really hope everyone will give me a warm welcome and submit lots of replies! Your reviews will give me the courage to keep writing, and since I'm going to college for Creative Writing, your input would be very influential to my writing style and methods! Help a person out here! [laughs] Well, I sincerely hope my work will please you, and without further ado, may I present...

**Not Just a Pretty Face  
**

::Prologue: New Places, New Faces::

On the bus again, headed for a new town, new friends, and new adventures...

That was just the way Rover liked it.

The blue-and-white cat sighed and settled into his seat, watching the scenery roll by as he took the bus from Angelton. Traveling was Rover's passion. He just couldn't get enough of it. The new places, new events, new faces...

The bus stopped briefly, and another passenger stepped on, though Rover didn't see them because of the seat in front of him. The newcomer made their way down the aisle, head bowed. The bus was very small, with only three seats on either side, so it usually didn't take long to find a seat.

Rover noticed that the passenger was a cat like him, but female, as the newcomer sat in the seat ahead of him. Her fur was snow-white and very pretty.

"Um...hello, ma'am! Are you traveling, too?" he asked, eager to get to know this pretty cat.

The cat didn't face him. "I...suppose so," she answered in a small voice.

Rover beamed. "Glad to meet a fellow traveler! I'm Rover. What's your name?"

There was a moment's pause before she answered. "...Blanca."

"Blanca," Rover savored the name. "That means 'white,' doesn't it? What a pretty name for such a pretty gal!" He wasn't sure why he had complimented her. He was pretty sure she _was_ pretty, but more than that, the white cat seemed sad. Maybe a compliment would cheer her up.

But to Rover's dismay, Blanca only bowed her head morosely.

"Hey, hey," he said, feeling bad. "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

"No."

"Then why are you so sad? C'mon! Put on your happy face! Yar har har!" He demonstrated by grinning widely, but Blanca still didn't look at him.

"...I can't," she said sadly.

Rover stopped grinning. "Well, why not?"

"You wouldn't understand," she said softly.

"Hey, I'm no dummy," Rover protested. "Try me."

As he stared intently at the back of Blanca's head, she seemed to tremble. "I can't put on my happy face..." she said, and then turned to face him. "—Because I have none!"

Rover gasped. Where the cat's face should have been, there was only white fur. Her face was blank and white, just as her name suggested.

Rover blinked. He wanted to say something. There were a lot of things he could have said. Something comforting. Something sympathetic.

What he said instead was, "How are you talking and seeing?"

Much to Rover's dismay, the faceless cat burst into tears (though Rover didn't see how _that_ was possible, either). "I-I knew it!" she wailed. "E-everyone always m-makes fun of me!"

"Hey, hey!" he said soothingly, patting her head awkwardly. "I wasn't making fun. You just surprised me, that's all."

"Y-yeah right! You think I'm u-ugly! Just like all the others!" she blubbered.

"No I don't," he said honestly. "I think it's kinda cool."

Her sobbing slowed, and she gave a small hiccough. "Cool?"

"Yeah. Wish I could see and stuff with no eyes or nose or mouth!"

"You do?" she said suspiciously.

"Sure! People tell me I've got a big mouth anyway—if I was like you, no one would say _that_ anymore!"

She made a small noise halfway between a sniffle and a giggle.

"And I could keep my nose out of animals' business if I didn't have a nose!" he continued, heartened by her reaction. "And when I take too much food, no one would tell me my eyes are bigger than my stomach!"

She giggled again. "You're... different, Rover," she decided.

He beamed. "If that's a compliment, I'll take it!"

The bus stopped again. "...I'm getting off here," Blanca said sadly.

"You're leaving?" Rover said, and he was surprised to realize that he was sad. He met lots of animals traveling and eventually said good-bye to them all—so why should he be sad now?

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Blanca replied. "Good-bye, Rover. Thank you for talking to me." She bowed politely and shuffled out of her seat and stepped off the bus. Rover watched her sadly as she walked away.

"Good-bye...Blanca..."

* * *

**Author's Note: **How was it? Not too great. [laughs] Please remember that this is only the prologue! Keep reading; I promise it will get better. ^_^;


	2. Chapter 1: The Curse

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Animal Crossing. I do, however, own a purple pony with silver wings.

...Actually I don't own that either. I HAVE NOTHING! [sobs]

**Author's Note:**Well, here we are at Chapter 1, and you will finally learn about the curse I mentioned in the summary! Thank you for reading this far, and I hope I don't disappoint! ^_^ Please continue to review if you have been, and if you haven't...please take the time to review. Even if you just glanced at it, or you're an anonymous viewer...input on my writing is very important to me since I want to do it for a career. So please...take a little time to help me? ^ ^;

Now that I'm done pleading...

**Not Just a Pretty Face**

::Chapter One: The Curse::

Rover walked happily down the street in his favorite city, passing a fountain and a movie theater. A long road trip had led him back here after a whole year. Angelton, his favorite town, was just outside the city, and he couldn't wait to visit the café there, the Roost, again. But first, he made his way toward an out-of-the-way little side door on one of the buildings. A slightly faded sign on the door read "_Katrina's Fortune-telling_— _Your fate awaits!"_ in thin, spidery lettering.

"Oh boy," he said expectantly, "Can't wait to have my fortune read again!" He opened the door, a small bell jingling and announcing his presence, and stepped inside. The place smelled of incense and dried herbs, just like always. He breathed in the familiar scent deeply. He looked around, surprised that Katrina wasn't in the front room today. Maybe she was reading someone else's fortune right now.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. Rover paused and listened intently. It was a muffled voice— its pitch was high, and it sounded upset. Another voice, this one lower and calmer, answered. _Katrina?_ Rover wondered. He crept back toward the hall, where the voices were coming from , and made his way along the dark, narrow hallway, past the beaded curtain that led to Katrina's crystal ball, and all the way to the door at the end of the hall. As he got closer, the voices became more clear—

"—had this curse long enough!" the higher-pitched voice was saying. Rover thought the female voice sounded very familiar, but he just couldn't put a paw on where he had heard it before.

"A curse is a curse, my _dear_," Katrina's voice responded. She said the word almost patronizingly. "It would be rather hard to reverse, even if I wanted to."

"Please, Katrina, be reasonable," the first voice said, sounding on the verge of tears. "I said I was sorry. I was silly and foolish and vain...and arrogant. But I've learned my lesson."

"Well, there is one way it might be reversed," Katrina drawled, mollified.

"What is that?" the first voice asked eagerly.

"I've forgotten," Katrina said lazily after a short pause.

Apparently the first voice was unconvinced. "That's not fair! I've done everything I was supposed to! Why won't you fix me?" The voice broke on the last two words, and Rover thought he heard a small sob.

"Even if I did anything," Katrina said calmly, "It would not help you. I cannot fix your internal imperfections. Beauty, as I'm sure you have discovered, is only skin-deep, after all." Rover thought he heard a kind of righteous anger he had never heard before in the fortune-teller's voice. It gave him shivers down his spine. What could she have done?

There was silence for a minute. Then the first voice spoke. "Fine," it said. It sounded determined, but the voice still shook. Rover heard approaching footsteps, and realized with alarm that someone was going to exit the room!

Hastily he zoomed back out of the hallway and just barely made it into the entry room before his keen ears heard the door down the hall open and close. Not wanting to face the owner of the voice he had eavesdropped on, he went out the front door, silently cursing the bell on the door, which jingled merrily to alert anyone to his exit.

He hid in an alley next to the shop, his mind racing. Katrina had cursed someone! He'd known she was powerful, but he had no idea she was _that_ powerful. But who had she cursed, and why?

The door's bell jingled, and Rover peeked around the corner to glimpse who was coming out of the shop.

His jaw dropped. It was a white cat with no face.

"Blanca!" he called, forgetting his caution.

The white cat turned. "Rover!" she said in surprise when she spotted him (apparently). He felt a surge of pleasure that she had remembered him just as easily as he remembered her after a year. "What are you doing in that alley?" she asked, coming closer.

"Um...hiding," he said. It was no use lying. He was terrible at lying.

"Why are you hiding?"

"Um... I ran after I... um... listened to... something in the shop," he squeaked.

She was quiet a moment. "You...were _eavesdropping?_" she said finally. Rover winced.

"Yes! I'm sorry, I just— I just... some voice sounded upset so I wondered why so I listened and I thought, 'Gee, that voice sounds familiar' but I didn't know why then you started talking about a curse and I thought 'What curse?' so I kept listening and then you came toward the door so I ran and then you found me and my mama always told me curiosity killed the cat and I hope she's wrong!" he babbled guiltily.

She stared at him (or at least Rover assumed that was what she was doing). Then she burst out laughing. "Maybe you _would_ be better off with no mouth, Rover," she told him. She sighed. "Well, you overheard a lot, so I might as well tell you the story."

-(-)-(-)-(-)-

"So, because you bragged about being beautiful and said Katrina's fortune was bogus," Rover said, "...she cursed you and took away your face?"

Blanca nodded. "That's about it."

They were sitting together on the edge of the circular fountain in the middle of the city. Behind them, the stone goddess Serena stood silently in its center. Blanca tossed in a Bell, but Rover thought she didn't so much do it for luck as much as she did simply to have something to throw.

"But why would you have thought her fortune was wrong?" Rover asked, confused.

Blanca tossed in another Bell. It landed in the water with a _ploop!_ "She predicted something I didn't like very much."

"What was that?"

"None of your business!" Blanca snapped. Rover recoiled, hurt, and Blanca drew back as if surprised. "I...I'm sorry, Rover. I didn't mean to get angry. It's just...I don't want to talk about it."

"That's cool," Rover nodded. "Hey, but Katrina said there's a way to break the curse, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but she won't tell me how," Blanca said bitterly.

"Oh," Rover said stupidly.

Blanca rubbed her temples with her paws. "I just don't know what to do, Rover. It's been over a year since she cursed me. I know I was stupid and arrogant, but... I really think I'm better now. I don't care if I'm beautiful, or—or ugly, or what. I just want to have a face so no one will stare anymore..." A tear coursed down her cheek from nowhere, and she buried her face in her paws.

Rover scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it'll be okay," he told her, though he wasn't really sure why it would be okay. He also had no explanation for what came out of his mouth next—

"I'll help you break the curse."

Blanca lowered her paws from her face and turned toward him. "You...you will?" She sounded equal parts surprised, doubtful, and hopeful.

He was as surprised as she was. "I will? Uh, I mean, yes, I will!" He nodded. He wanted to help her, even if he wasn't really sure how.

"That's so sweet of you, Rover," Blanca said, a smile in her voice. Rover blushed. "But how can you help? Neither of us has any idea how to break this curse." She bowed her head toward her knees.

"Oh," Rover said again. "That's true."

"Unless..." Blanca said pensively. She faced Rover again slowly.

Rover didn't like the sound of that "unless," but his curiosity got the better of him. "Unless what?"

"Unless the only way to get information about the curse," Blanca said, "is to get it straight from the source."

"Uh, pardon?"

"Katrina. You'll have to ask her."

"Um, I don't think she'll like it much if I stroll in there and say, 'Yeah, so my friend needs your curse lifted from her. Tips?'" Rover pointed out.

Blanca shook her head. "You don't need to mention me. Just have her do a reading about your 'problem'. I don't think she understands her own readings half the time. She can see the future, but that doesn't mean she understands it."

Rover stared at her. "But...how do you know all that?"

Blanca shuffled her feet. "Just...guessing," she said, but Rover wasn't too sure. This plan sounded iffy to him, but if he could help the poor cat with her problem, he would do just about anything.

-(-)-(-)-(-)-

"Ah, Rover..." Katrina said as the blue-and-white cat stepped into the shop and the bell tinkled. "You've been gone a long time. I expected you would return soon." The gypsy cat sat at her front desk, her paws tented mysteriously and propping up her chin.

"Yes, Miss Katrina," Rover said politely. "I desperately need a reading."

"Oh?" said Katrina, straightening up. He had caught her interest.

"Yes... you see... well, it's a little hard to talk about..." he shifted nervously. It wasn't exactly a lie, but he still felt uncomfortable not telling the whole truth.

Katrina made a _tsk-tsk_ noise with her tongue as she flitted from behind her desk and to Rover's side. Her gauzy clothing made it appear as though she glided above the ground. She placed a clawed paw on Rover's shoulder. "Poor dear. Why don't we talk about it during a reading?"

Rover nodded and allowed himself to be led down the hallway and through the bead curtain that led to Katrina's crystal ball room. He sat in the chair facing it. Katrina sat on the opposite side, across from him. "Now," she said, leaning forward, "What is your question?"

Rover fumbled for a moment. He couldn't believe the fortune-teller would do something as cruel as taking someone's face away. It didn't seem like her style. Either he had seriously misjudged Katrina's character, or Blanca must have _really_ set her off.

"Dear?" Katrina prompted, raising an eyebrow at the nervous cat.

"Um! Yes!" blurted Rover, snapped out of his thoughts. "My... my friend is going through some rough times... and I don't know how to help. So um... what should I do?"

She smiled at him. "Let's find out." She leaned forward over the glass orb and stared into it intently, raising her paws on either side of it for dramatic effect. She hesitated. "I See you growing very close with your friend. You must reach out to your friend and identify what he or she fears... Then you must assure him or her that they need not be afraid and that you care for them..." She sat back, and sighed, scratching her head. "I'm sorry, Rover. That was very vague and general. But I'm afraid it is all I can See."

Rover stared at her and blinked. How was finding out what Blanca feared going to help? And had Katrina really seen them in the crystal ball?

"Um, Miss Katrina," he said tentatively. "Did you...recognize my friend?"

Katrina laughed. "'Seeing' is different from 'seeing,' my boy," she answered. "One does not See images; more like shapes, colors, symbols that produce a feeling or emotion. From the feelings and and gut instincts we feel, fortune-tellers are able to surmise the best course of action."

Rover blinked and stared again. If possible, he thought he was even _more _confused now.

Katrina seemed to sense this. She cleared her throat and said, "Do not worry on it, dear. Leave the de-mystifying of mysterious things to the experts, eh?" She laughed softly.

Rover nodded. "How much do I owe you?"

Katrina smiled as she looked at him. "Hmmmm...for you? 100 Bells."

"What do you mean, 'for me'? That's your standard rate," Rover pointed out, confused, as they made their way back to the front room.

"And why should you be different from anyone else, dear?" she asked mysteriously with a smirk. Rover could tell from the sparkle in her eye that she was teasing him. He sighed and forked over the cash.

* * *

**Author's Note:** That was a little better, I hope. ^ ^; At least now you know the main idea. But the best is yet to come (in my opinion anyway)! I hope I don't sound too arrogant when I say that...um...I hope you will think well of my story! *bows* (Why am I bowing?)  
Anyway, um, please remember that reviewing would really, sincerely help me out a whole lot. Thank you very much! ^_^;


	3. Chapter 2: Dance With Me

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Animal Crossing. If I did, it probably would have been called Animal Forest like it was supposed to be called. I also do not own _K. K. Waltz,_ though I do own the lyrics I created for it.

**Author's Note:** You've made it to Chapter Two (technically Chapter Three)! I'm sure I'm much more proud than you are, however. [laughs] Thank you so much for reading this far. I promise this is the best chapter yet. It features two of my other favorite characters from AC: Kapp'n and K. K. Slider! [cheers] Ah, I love those two. Oh, speaking of our favorite singing dalmation, this chapter includes lyrics I've written for _K. K. Waltz._ The lyrics are my own, so please do not steal them ^ ^; I've written lyrics for a couple of K. K.'s songs, and I'm working on more. Someday they'll probably get a whole story to themselves. But for now, may I present:

**Not Just a Pretty Face**

::Chapter Two: Dance With Me::

"She told you we were supposed to get closer?" Blanca asked Rover as they walked down the crowded street. Rover had told her about his strange reading from Katrina, and she seemed as confused as he was. "That's it?"

"Basically," Rover confirmed. "That, and that I needed to help you overcome your 'greatest fear' or some mumbo-jumbo."

"I don't think confronting a clown is going to bring my face back," said Blanca.

There was a silence between the two for a moment. Then they both burst out laughing. They walked a bit more. Rover spotted a restaurant, and he wondered if Blanca was as hungry as he was. Maybe they should stop and grab something to eat. Yes, that would be nice.

"Hey," said Rover, grabbing her hand to stop her from walking. A tingle spread through his body, like currents of electricity, and he forgot what he was going to say. "Uh—um—uh..."

Blanca stepped closer to him, closing her paw around his. "Rover? What's wrong?" Her voice was concerned.

Rover's eyes darted around wildly for an answer, and he focused on random things— a walrus handing out balloons and pinwheels... someone throwing an axe into the fountain... a poster advertising the upcoming ballroom dance—

"Do you want to go to that ball thing tomorrow?" he blurted out.

Blanca didn't move for a while. If she had had eyes, Rover was sure they would have been blinking in confusion. She wasn't the only one who was confused. Where had that question come from?

"Um..." Blanca said awkwardly. Rover wanted the pavement to open up and swallow him, but then she said, "I'd love to!"

Instantly, a very goofy smile spread across his face. "You _would?_" he asked stupidly.

She giggled. "You sure are different, Rover," she said.

"You said that on the bus that time, too," Rover remembered.

"And you said you'd agree if that was a compliment!" Blanca added. They laughed and continued down the street, each seeming to forget that they still held the other's paw.

-]-[-]-[-

Rover straightened his bow-tie nervously at the bus stop in Angelton. He'd had to buy the clothes last-minute— a dark-blue tux and deep red bow-tie— at the Able Sisters' shop. They had even lent him a mirror, but Rover fiddled with his tie more out of anxiety than out of an actual desire to straighten it.

How had he gotten himself into this? And all just because he had seen a poster for the ball over Blanca's shoulder yesterday? He wondered vaguely if, had he seen a poster for the fruit market instead, he would have asked her to go _gardening_ with him.

All too soon, the bus arrived at the stop, and Rover hopped on. He sat in the back seat as usual. Kapp'n, the driver, glanced at him in his oversize rear-view mirror. "Yar, where ya be goin' tonight, Rover?" he asked. Rover was such a frequent traveler that the old turtle knew him by name. "Ya look like ya be off to be tyin' the knot!" he chuckled.

Rover flushed a deep red. "I-I'm not tying the knot!" he said hastily. "There's a ball in the city tonight, that's all."

"A ball, is it?" Kapp'n mused. "Yar, that must mean yeh're meetin' a lass. Ya lucky little seadog!"

Rover blushed heavily again but didn't answer. Kapp'n took his silence as confirmation and laughed uproariously. They reached the city bus stop, and Kapp'n told him as he got off, "Enjoy yerself, laddie, while yeh're still young enough to be enjoyed!" And then the doors shut and he drove off before Rover could protest.

"Whoa," Rover breathed, staring up at the dance hall in awe. It was enormous, white with a domed ceiling and white columns on the outside. He looked up at it for a minute, quite scared, until a well-dressed couple walked by.

"Close your mouth, boy; the flies will get in," chuckled the gentleman, and the lady howled with laughter as if the joke were original. Rover hastily closed his gaping jaw. He straightened his bow-tie one last time, put on a determined face, and marched inside.

His eyes scanned the place. The wine-red carpet contrasted brilliantly with the elegant white domed ceiling, which had intricate designs of gold snaking across it like metallic vines, and beautiful crystal chandeliers hung overhead, refracting the light so each one shone in a rainbow of colors. But Rover wasn't interested in the décor. He was supposed to meet Blanca inside, but where—

And then he saw her.

She was sitting in a chair off to the side, her front paws on her knees and hunched over slightly as if shielding herself from the world. She wore a short, strapless pink gown that glittered in the light from the crystal chandeliers overhead, and a pink rose adorned her head, set in front of one ear.

He made his way over to her, gulping. How was he going to pull this off? He'd never danced with a girl before. He'd picked up some dances on his travels, but he'd never actually danced for anything but pure fun. But now—

His thought was cut short as he tripped suddenly on the leg of the punch table and almost sloshed the red liquid all over his tux. "Ow!" he yelped, holding his foot. At the sound of his voice, Blanca's face shot up and looked straight at him, and she made her way over.

"Rover! Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," he said, straightening. His eyes widened as he looked her over. She was even more stunning up close. Her dress sparkled brilliantly and stood out against her snow-white fur, and the reflections of the sparkles and the light from the crystal chandeliers made her fur appear to glitter, too.

She raised a paw to her cheek nervously. "What's wrong?" she asked in a worried tone. "Do I look okay?"

"You're beautiful," he choked out, and then blushed, because he hadn't meant to say it out loud. He was about to stammer an apology when he noticed that her cheeks had turned pink at his compliment.

"Thank you," she said, shuffling her feet shyly. "You clean up pretty well yourself." Rover felt his cheeks burning again.

Suddenly the lights dimmed, and a spotlight appeared in the corner, illuminating a white dog sitting on a stool with a guitar. He leaned into the microphone, and addressed the group.

"Hey, cool cats and dogs," he greeted them. A mouse nearby put her hands on her hips and looked at him pointedly. "—And other animal brothers and sisters," the dog added quickly.

"That's Totakeke Slider," Rover whispered to Blanca in surprise. "But we usually just call him K. K. He's famous in Angelton. He comes every Saturday night to the local café..."

"Hope you all are in the mood for mellow, because we're gonna slow things down a bit," K. K. continued. "So grab your favorite guy or gal and get ready to groove to a little song I call _K. K. Waltz._" He closed his eyes and began to strum his guitar, as if he didn't need to look because the music came from his heart. Rover recognized the poignant melody, though it was slowed down so it sounded much more mysterious and beautiful. K. K. began to sing.

"_Come, _

_Dance_

_With me this night_

_Hold my hand tight as we twirl _

_Away_

_Come, _

_Dance_

_No better pair_

_Lady so fair, Share a dance _

_Today..."_

All around the dance floor, animals began to pair off and slowly dance to the music. Rover offered his paw awkwardly to Blanca. "...Um?" was all he managed to say, but Blanca took his paw as K. K. sang a small part he usually only whistled:

"_We'll step in time_

_Moonlight will shine..."_

Slowly, shakily, Rover began to move in waltz time— one, two, three; one, two three... He held Blanca's paw and kept his other paw on her waist. Blanca's other paw rested on his shoulder. They slowly twirled as K. K. began another verse.

"_Come, _

_Dance_

_Dance now with me_

_Feet flying free in the warm _

_Night air_

_Come, _

_Dance_

_Into the night,_

_As the moonlight Shines upon _

_Your hair..."_

Rover concentrated hard on not stepping on Blanca's toes as he kept the rhythm— one, two, three; one, two three; one, two, three... The world seemed to fade around them as K. K. Slider sang the bridge of the song.

"_Come, Dance,_

_Under the dark moonlit sky, dance_

_We could begin a new romance..._

_If we just share a dance..."_

Rover didn't concentrate on stepping anymore. The rhythm, the song, seemed to be moving them all by itself. He looked instead at Blanca, lost in the song.

"_Come, _

_Dance,_

_Under the moon_

_And very soon you'll be close _

_To me_

_Come,_

_Dance,_

_Won't it be fine_

_Then only mine I'll ask you_

_To be._

_Then only mine will my _

_Dancer be!"_

K. K. played the last few chords on his guitar, and the dancing slowed and stopped. The lights came back up. Blanca still stood in position as if she were still dancing with Rover, though they no longer moved.

"Blanca?" Rover asked, tilting his head. Blanca started slightly and shook her head, seeming to come out of a trance.

"S-sorry," she said. "Just...thinking."

"About what?"

"About... that time when Katrina cursed me," she said softly.

"Hey, no thinking about that right now," Rover scolded gently, leading her over by the paw so they could talk in private. "Forget about that right now, okay?"

She looked down and was quiet. Then she lifted her blank face to him and asked seriously, "Why are you helping me? Why do you care?"

He let go of her paw in surprise. The questions had caught him off guard. "Uh..." he stammered. She looked at him for a moment, then suddenly she turned and ran away, weaving through the crowd and out the door. He followed. "Hey, Blanca! Wait!" he called, trotting after her. Well-dressed couples around the dance floor looked at him with disdain as he jogged across the floor and brushed some animals by mistake, but Rover didn't really care right now. He caught up with her on the front steps of the dance hall. She stood quietly to the side, looking up at the moon. She didn't face him when he reached her. "What's wrong, Blanca? Don't just leave me like that!" he panted.

She didn't answer. After a minute she faced him. "Do you pity me, Rover? Are you just too nice to ignore me? Or are you just too curious to stay away?" She asked the questions in a gentle voice, but he still winced, hurt by them.

"I'm helping you because I care, Blanca," he told her.

"But... you hardly know me. I'm a faceless cat who got cursed because she was an arrogant braggart. Why would you care about me?"

He blinked, stumped by the question. "I just...do," he sputtered. "You were sad, so I wanted to make you happy. And I like it when I make you laugh, and I like hanging out together. I... want to be closer with you, get to know you. Isn't that reason enough?" He took her paw, and felt his own tingle again.

Blanca was quiet a moment, but she didn't pull her paw away. "What if... what if we break the curse..." she said, her voice thick. Rover realized with dismay that she sounded close to tears. "What if we break the curse, and I get my face back, and you don't like it?" she sniffled. "What if I'm better off without a face?"

He blinked again. "What do you mean, 'what if I don't like your face'? Who cares? It's just a face. I'm getting to know _you_, Blanca. It's _you_ I care about, not your face." He was a little insulted that she thought he'd just abandon her because of a silly thing like that.

"B-but what if I'm not beautiful anymore?" she blubbered. "What if you think my face isn't beautiful?"

Rover's insides boiled. He couldn't believe how unreasonable she was being. Who cared what her face looked like? He looked down at the sobbing white cat, frustrated.

And then, quite suddenly, Blanca's sobbing stopped because— he didn't know why— he kissed her, right where her mouth should have been. He pulled away and glared at her, blushing furiously, wondering whether he should say "So there!" or "Please don't slap me!"

He didn't get the chance to say either though, because suddenly, Blanca doubled over and crumpled to her knees, groaning and holding her head.

"Blanca!" Rover said, kneeling beside her. A thousand questions zoomed through his head: What was happening? Was she okay? Was he really that terrible of a kisser?

But then Blanca gasped, and, as soon as they had started, her groans of discomfort ceased. "Blanca?" Rover asked shakily. "Are you okay?"

In answer, Blanca lowered her shaking paws away from her face—

And Rover gasped and fell backward.

Gazing back at him were two tearful, big blue eyes, their brows drawn up in confusion, in wonder and shock. His eyes traveled down— there was a tiny pink nose, with three little freckles with whiskers on either side. Finally, there was a small, ruby-red mouth, which was parted slightly in surprise.

Slowly, she reached her paws up and touched her lips, her nose, her eyelids, checking to see if they were really there. She looked at Rover wordlessly, and a single tear ran down her cheek from one wide blue eye.

Without hesitation, Rover swept her into his arms. "So, at last we meet face-to-face," he murmured in her ear.

Blanca laughed through her tears and held him tighter.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That is my favorite part ^ ^; I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you all liked the K. K. Waltz lyrics! Only one more chapter (actually, it's so short I'm calling it an epilogue) to go! Thank you so much for sticking with me this long. I'm very grateful. And, as usual, please send lots of reviews! ^_^  
Lots of love!  
~Meganium


	4. Epilogue: Family Reunion

**Disclaimer:** Do not use this product while sleeping. Doing so may cause nausea, headache, extreme case of giggles, and—wait, what? I'm doing a disclaimer on a fanfiction? Oh. Well then, I do not own Animal Crossing. But you probably shouldn't read this while sleeping anyway.

**Author's Note: **I seriously did not expect a reply so soon! [blushes happily] ^/^ Thank you so much to Grasspaw (do you by any chance get your name from the Warriors series? I love those books...^ ^). I'm so grateful. I only wish I had a little more to give, but I'm afraid there isn't much left...[laughs] I hope I don't disappoint!

Anyway, onto the epilogue!

**Not Just a Pretty Face**

::Epilogue: Family Reunion::

The bell tinkled as two cats stepped into the fortune-teller's shop a week later. Naturally the two were very happy when the curse had mysteriously broken, but there were questions to be answered.

"Miss Katrina?" Rover said to the tiger-cat, who was reading a magazine lazily at her desk. He padded closer to the desk, then stepped aside to reveal Blanca, and Katrina gasped. "Blanca is back," Rover stated unnecessarily.

"At last!" Katrina said, sighing. "I thought I would have to interfere if it didn't happen soon."

Rover and Blanca exchanged a glance. _"What?"_ they both exploded at the same time.

Katrina smiled wryly. "I am sorry it took so long, Blanca," she said sincerely. "But it was necessary, you know."

"Um, I don't understand," Blanca said.

"Actually, that's the reason we're here," Rover clarified. "We want to know why the curse suddenly broke."

"My dear Blanca," exclaimed Katrina, "Don't you remember my curse? _'Until the flaws one can embrace, live without your pretty face!'_ If the curse broke—"

"But I didn't accept my flaws," Blanca interrupted, confused. "I was still focused on my appearance. I was terrified that Rover wouldn't like me unless I was beautiful. I thought that _no one_ would like me unless I was beautiful."

Katrina waggled an index finger. "Ah, that was your fear, was it not? But you are misunderstanding my curse. Did the curse say _'Until the flaws _you _can embrace?'_ No. It said _'Until the flaws _one _can embrace.'_ Someone _else..."_ her eyes wandered over to Rover, "...must have learned to love you, vanity and all."

Rover blushed down to his toes. "Um..."

Katrina laughed. "Ya-ha-ha! Blanca, I suppose this means your fortune from so long ago has come true as well!"

Blanca looked down, blushing, but smiling. Rover looked between the two. "What? Why? What did it say?"

Blanca blushed redder and shook her head. Katrina winked at him. "Maybe she'll tell you another time, dear."

The white cat stepped toward the front desk. "Katrina, I just wanted to say...I'm sorry. I was arrogant, and vain. I was so offended by what you told me, and angry about what you had done to me, that I didn't take the time to really think about what you had told me then. But..." she glanced at Rover. "I understand now."

Katrina's gaze softened and she took Blanca's paws in her own as she walked to the front of her desk. "I know my method was drastic, but I hope you understand why I did what I did. I sincerely hope you will forgive me."

Blanca smiled. "I forgive you, sister."

The two hugged, and Rover watched, feeling all fuzzy inside. Then suddenly he shook himself and his eyes grew very wide.

_"SISTER?"_

-}-{-}-{-

"So you and Katrina are... sisters?" Rover asked, dumbfounded.

Blanca nodded, skimming the water in the fountain with her tail absentmindedly. The two of them sat on the edge of the circular fountain like they had a week before, the stone goddess Serena at their backs. "Yeah," she responded quietly.

"So...guess you two don't get along that well usually?" Rover asked curiously.

Blanca smiled. "We tend to disagree on things. We're, like, opposites, if you couldn't tell."

Rover smiled back. "I could. So...how did this all happen?"

Blanca thought a moment, looking up at the sky. "When Katrina opened that fortune-telling stand, I kept asking to have my fortune read, but she kept saying that it isn't a good idea to do readings for family. But after a couple years she caved. She warned me, that time, that I probably wouldn't like what my fortune would say, but... I wanted it read anyway. So she read it, and just like she predicted, I didn't like it too much. I got mad, and Katrina..." she laughed softly. "She's always had a bit of a temper. That's my big sister for you."

Rover watched her skip another Bell across the water in the fountain before he asked, "So... what did your fortune say?"

She blushed and looked at her knees as she dangled them over the edge of the fountain, swinging them back and forth. "'You will fall in love with one who cares naught for your appearance,'" she recited quietly. "I thought that meant someone who didn't find me attractive, so I got a little upset about that." She smiled wryly.

Rover nodded like he understood, and then his eyes widened. "Wait— 'fall in love with'?" He grinned stupidly at her and blushed. "Gee..."

She was blushing furiously, but shoved him playfully. "Doesn't mean it's happened yet," she grumbled, smiling.

"But it will, right?" he persisted, scooting closer to her.

"Not necessarily," she said casually, taking his paw in her own. "Maybe it's not talking about you. Maybe it's someone else." She smirked playfully.

"Hey, come on; that's mean," he protested, nudging her with his shoulder, but he smiled.

"All right; I'm sorry," she said, laughing slightly. "As an apology, I'll let you kiss me." She leaned forward and closed her eyes.

Rover's heart did a drum solo in his chest as he leaned forward...

His mistake was closing his eyes. For a cat, he had terrible balance.

"Wh-WHOA!" he yelled as he tumbled backward into the fountain, pulling Blanca along with him.

They surfaced, their fur clinging to their skin and soaking wet. "Rover!" Blanca complained, spitting a small spout of water.

"Sorry," he mumbled in embarrassment.

She looked at him for a moment, and burst out laughing.

"_What?_" He asked defensively.

"Nothing. You just... you look like a drowned rat!" she replied, cracking up.

He was about to say something like "_Me?_" but she must have decided drowned rats were okay, because she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him anyway.

And Rover decided that being a drowned rat felt pretty darn good.

~*~*~THE END.~*~*~

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well? How was it? ^ ^ I really hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you liked, what you didn't, anything. I'm happy to read reviews! ^_^ Thanks again to Grasspaw for making me feel like my story would be read if I were to finish posting it. ^ ^ I hope, if you all enjoyed this story, that you will like the future stories that I will soon put up here. I have a couple more written. This one, actually, was intended to be a One-shot like the others, but I just kept writing and writing and...well, here we are. [laughs] It's probably the best one, so that's why I wanted to post it first. But I hope I can write many more fanfictions for Animal Crossing, because the fandom is seriously lacking in good character-based stories! However, there are a few really great ones, and I would definitely recommend checking out the ones that interest you if you like Animal Crossing. I saved a couple in my Favorites if you want some reccomendations. ^ ^

This Author's Note is long! [laughs] But thank you so much for reading. Love to all! [heart]

~Meganium

**EDIT:** Since I can't post more than one reply per chapter on my own story (which I think is a little wonky, by the way), I have to respond to reviews directly here! Your reviews have been very kind, and many thanks are in order. I'll try to update this whenever I get a review. =)

**To Luckycharms2841:** I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! And Blanca's always been a favorite character of mine too. She's so mysterious. I always wondered what happened to her face...XD Thanks so much for the review!

**To RainbowofSmiles16:** I was very touched. Reviews for every chapter! I certainly did not expect something as wonderful as that! =D Thank you also for reading my other story! ^ ^ And yes, I have drawn the face mentioned in the story on Blanca's face. XD It took a while, too, because I am a perfectionist (hence why I go through my stories until there are NO TYPOS AT ALL. LOL). Once again, thank you for your kind reviews!

**To Animalcrossinglover:** Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm flattered that you think this is one of the best Animal Crossing stories! 8D Be sure to check out some of the ones in my favorites...they're really good as well ;)

**To Amber: **Thanks so much for reading! I'm very glad you liked it! :) I'm honored that my story was the first Animal Crossing story you read, and I hope you'll enjoy many more to come! Thanks for the compliment as well-I'm sure there are AC fics out there that are even better than mine, LOL ;D

**To Emo Spider Senses:** Aww, you read AND liked both? I'm so touched! 8'} Glad my fic could answer your unanswered question of how Blanca ended up with no face. XD I'm so glad you liked it, and thank you for reading!

**To Happymystery12**: Aw! I'm so glad you liked it, and thank you so much for the Fave! 8'D

**To Boolia: **Aww, thank you so much! Though nothing is perfect, I'm glad you see my story as such ;D And I'm not sure he is either, but it's the closest, I think. I mean, not all dals have spots. XD I'm a dog fancier, so I watch a lot of shows and have this ginormous encyclopedia of dog breeds, but I think it's just cute to think of him as a Dalmation. ;) Iunno. Also, I saw someone else refer to him as one, so I did too. XD  
Wow! 5 paws! 8D I wonder-is that on a scale of 5 or 10? XD Sure hope it's the former!  
Thanks so much for reading! ^_^

Again, thanks so much to everyone who reviews and/or reads and love to all!

~Meganium


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